It is when you ask God to speak to you through His Word and when You seek more of Him, He will surely reveal His answers to your heart's deepest longings. It is more than finding the light at the end of the tunnel... more than a finding a message in a bottle. It is laying down all your plans at the feet of Jesus and letting His purpose prevail in your life because He knows what He is doing and working in you and through you.

Just like how God used Joshua 1 to speak to me again. I'm familiar with this Bible story yet as I read it again, I got fresh teachings. It spoke to my spirit in a deeper level. The words are now etched in my heart one by one. I was truly joyful when I found what I was searching for a long time.

This is the importance of meditating God's Word and desiring a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is something special and captivating. It is a personal experience.

I was even able to write a short poem because I could not contain the joy and love God gave me one night. And after posting it on my Facebook page, I happened to see this post from Joyce Meyer ;) Such an amazing moment!

I have been using my DSLR for many years and this camera is still reliable. But in my recent vacation, I had encountered inconveniences using it. It's heavy and bulky. Though I can still take good pictures, it's hard for me to photograph during night time or in the low light. So it was easier for me to use my mobile camera anywhere and anytime. I also noticed that most of the tourists were using mirrorless compact camera, lightweight DSLR, or action camera. That's why my next goal is to invest for a new camera - mirrorless kind. I think that it'd a good companion because it's easier to carry during photo walks and visiting museums/indoor locations.

And this is why I like Sony Alpha a5000. The brand claims that this is the world's lightest interchangeable-lens digital camera and it has good features like Picture Effect, Multiple Exposure, Time lapse. The last one is my most favorite for the love of sky timelapse! This camera can sync photos and videos to smartphones since it has built-in-Wi-Fi and NFC. Make some enhancements to your photos and upload your shots to share.

With its Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) Sensor, BIONZ X™ image processing engine, and high sensitivity ISO 100-16000 - I can capture in low light and without flash. This is perfect for my need.

Its colors and warm tones. The texture of the
sky as the daylight lets go of its brightness; as well as the night awaits for
the stars to come out. The richness and beauty of changing colors proclaim how
great our Creator is. He is a magnificent artist. Sunsets inspire me so much.

Soon, I'll be seeing my 31st sunset. ^_^

Each sunset reminds me of what I should be
thankful for:

1 I lived and survived another day.2 I have eyes that can see well and appreciate the
wonders of nature.3 Another opportunity to take good photos or
make a painting to treasure its beauty.4 A new hope. It's a signal that there will be a new day coming soon.5 A time of waiting and developing its
beauty.

So tomorrow, try looking up to the sky and let
the artist in you appreciate what your eyes can see. It's already a blessing to
know that you are alive and have a gift of sight. Not everyone is able to see
what we can see though not everything is perfect and good for our sight but it's
another thing.

What matters now is we adore the creations of the Lord Almighty. God shows His love and care for us through His creations.

I am ending this blog post with some of my favorite sunset photos I took in Sweden. In different seasons, with different kinds of beauty but same wonderful time of the sun to hide its brightness for a while.

It is exactly seven days before turning another year older. I am so thankful for everything I have learned and experienced in life. But until now, I am still a work in progress. I believe that the Lord will not stop molding us until we are made in completion according to His divine purpose.

Waiting has always been a part of our journey on earth and it is not easy if patience is your weakness. Yet I am still praying for some of my prayers to get answered. Be it a yes, a no, or wait still from God.

That is why I am blessed to have a mother who is prayerful and God-fearing family. It would be impossible for me to survive the challenges I have faced in the past without my relationship with Jesus Christ. My heart and my flesh are weak but He is strong. Now, I am still pursuing my dreams and actively waiting for a new chapter to be unfolded.

Why do I have this kind of hope?

Because of God's promises written in the Bible and I know that my God is a promise-keeper. I am privileged to witness His sovereignty and love.

Just like three months ago during my devotion time, I received a Word from God. I sensed in my spirit that it's meant for me and it's a promise to me as well. I was sure of this because I kept on reading and hearing about Abraham's unwavering faith on his Friend as recorded in Romans 4:20-21.

No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God, Fully satisfied and assured that God was able and mighty to keep His word and to do what He had promised. (Romans 4:20-21 AMPC)

I learned that Abraham waited for God's promise to be fulfilled in His own time frame.
This man knew who God was, is, and is to come.
Because he was very close to God's heart and he knew that He would never lie.

It is not easy to embrace the waiting time but we have options to spend it with joy, hope and faith or anger, bitterness and frustrations. So let us choose not to be miserable.

Last Wednesday night,
I had a chance to attend Hillsong Stockholm's Sisterhood United gathering. I
was supposed to go with my sister but sadly she couldn't make it due to her
work. So I went on my own instead to the venue Rörstrandsgatan 7 in Stockholm - the
Filadelfiakyrkan (Philadelphia Church).

Karlberg is my
favorite railway station and I'm getting familiar with the area of Vasastan.
The first time I went here, I got a little lost but it was a good experience. I
enjoyed it. I love this city and its beautiful Scandinavian buildings. Here
you'll also find the awesome Stockholm Stadsbibliotek.

A photo posted by curlymadz (@bettercurly) on Jul 30, 2016 at 1:44am PDT

Hence,
it was easy for me to find the venue for last night's event. I was also
surprised that the photo I took a month ago, GUD❤️STHLM, was
displayed on its facade. Destiny it is that I'll have a memorable experience in
this place.

Filadelfiakyrkan

I entered the church
and noticed that almost all the volunteers were men. There's an impression that
it's really a night for women to relax and enjoy. They welcomed everyone with
sparkling water.

I didn't know anyone
except for some familiar faces. Somehow, I felt a little lonely.

But as we were all
waiting for the sanctuary to be opened, I already claimed that God is going to
do something amazing and His anointing would be poured out to everyone
especially the worship team members, organizers and our guest speaker from
Hillsong South Africa: Pastor Lucinda Dooley. I prayed that the Lord will touch
our hearts and renew our minds to amazingly refresh us.

Doors were opened at
6:40PM and thanks God I got a good seat in the middle row and near the stage. I
had an Asian seatmate, she's a mother and she loves to smile. She also went on
her own.

By the way, I also
borrowed a Translation radio but mine was having static noises from time to
time. So it's good that the preaching would be in English.

The worship time was
great and one of the song we sang was Hillsong Worship's 'What a Beautiful Name
it is'. I believe the band will officially release its new album later this
year. And Brooke Fraser-Scottwood would be the lead singer of this track.

Back to the event,
the ladies prepared a guessing game and they divided the crowd into half. It's
a fun game where some popular international and local artists were flashed on
the screen and one of the girls will sing a song and her partner have to guess
the name of its artist. Our team didn't win but since the church is so
generous, as always, all of us got a pair of Lindt's Lindor chocolates. Yum!

Then Pastor Lucinda
Dooley opened her message sharing her own moment when she felt some inadequacy
to do what she usually does and be victorious in it for the year 2016. But
after she prayed, God gave her a message through SMS from a friend. This friend
sent her a Bible verse from Isaiah 46:3-4:

“Listen to me, you
descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have
upheld since your birth, and have carried since you were born.Even to your old age
and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I
will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

And that moment she
knew that God was telling her to 'adopt an audacious faith'.

A kind of faith that
is:

Mountain-moving;

Giant-slaying;

Miracle-building;

Walking-on-the-water;
and

Taking-territory

She gave four points to remember:

1 We can't let our inadequacy anchor us.

Remember that in
Genesis 3:1-7, Eve felt that what she had was not enough for she thought that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing
to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom.

And in reality,
sometimes we're like that BUT what we have is actually more than enough. Jesus
is more than enough.

We know that it is impossible for God to lie and we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and
secure. (Hebrews 6:17-19)

2 We can't let our hearts hinder us.

We must always guard
your heart above all else… (Proverbs 4:23) and turn to God for He heals the
brokenhearted.

For our hearts are
sensitive; can get damaged and offended. Keep in mind that the condition of our
hearts can affect our impact to others. This is perfect for me since I'm a
ministry leader in our church.

3 We can't let lies limit us.

We will know it is a
lie if it is contrary to God's Word. We can read what Jesus said to people who
were unable to hear and accept Him - the truth (John 8:42-47).

4 We can't let struggle stop us.

Just like Apostle
Paul who endured hardships and even boasted about it. (2 Corinthians 11::22-27
NLT);

and though God did
not approve his request to have his thorn in the flesh, his weaknesses, be
removed: Paul decided to quit focusing on the
handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength
moving in on his weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 MSG)

I truly believe that it's
only our own self who can hinder God's purpose.

I knew about most of
these already but since there's no accident to God - His plan was to let me
hear this message once more especially
while I'm in a country that is not my own. So I can remember that truly His purpose
prevails and He can work all things together for good.

Pastor Lucinda
closed her preaching with a Bible story from the Old Testament, 2 Kings
4:18-30. It's about the woman from Shunem who lived with an audacious faith. She
didn't let her inadequacy anchor her, her heart hinder her, the lies limit her
and struggles stop her. She chose to arise and shine.

A video posted by curlymadz (@bettercurly) on Sep 2, 2016 at 4:17pm PDT

Thanks God that when
I left the church, there's a smile on my face and a wonderful feeling because
of God's power. I even got a Bible translated in Swedish from one of the
volunteers and I thanked Pastor Lucinda personally. I know that the Lord also
wanted her to know that her message is really God's message to everyone so we
won't feel alone and down anymore. Sisters/Siblings in the Lord must encourage one
another.

Sisterhood's Be Found Catalogue and Bible in Swedish

I really hope that
many will find their lives anchored on God.It's really easy to
feel insecure and hopeless in this worldbut we must know that we are not aloneand what we have is more than enough.

Today, I claim in
the Name of Jesus that whoever reads this post will have her mind renewed,
heart encouraged and life turned around to greatness. It’s no accident that I'm
writing this and you're reading this. God bless you.

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